One’s body is often viewed and presented as an expression of success, power, desirability and status, and this often transpires from public opinion and even from how we talk to each other. So, this project by the Brussels Hub has two aims: to provide a safe space for those willing to share their stories, as well as to raise awareness of this often overlooked problem through the power of storytelling accompanied by images. The stories, translated in English, French and Dutch, will be collected in a book which will serve as the starting point for a number of activities targeting teenagers to show them they are not alone. In the end, we believe that a healthy body image is a unique matter for each individual based on their genes, lifestyle, age and, more importantly, their own comfort.

The project is aimed at supporting healthy body image and raising awareness of the power of words through storytelling. It was born as a blog alternating short anonymous stories of what people have been told about their bodies and how it affected them, and positive stories about how they’ve learnt to love our bodies and their imperfections. The aim is to collect those stories, written in English, French and Dutch in an illustrated book, which will be the basis for a social media campaign around the topic of body image and mental health and, more importantly, for a series of events and workshops dedicated to the topic of healthy body image with teenagers.

Body talks aims to:

Create a safe space for people to share their stories, anonymously or not if they wish so; share a form online, organize smaller (online) events to chat about the topic in a light way and in a friendly environment;

Collect these stories in a book, edit, and publish it;

Raise awareness of the incidence of distress related to body image and the power of words in triggering it through readings, events, and workshops tailored particularly for young teens;

Partner with other hubs: increase our reach, learn from each other;

Partner with local communities: learn what the most pressing needs are and see what support can we offer, liaise with experts on the topic.